Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read that the adult beetle of the mealworms will emit a foul odor when disturbed. Is this something I need to worry about when I get the full grown beetles? How readily do they emit this odor? Also, I read that the complete lifecycle lasts around a year and that they can stay in the pupa stage for up to nine months. Does it usually take this long in captivity? How long does it take for yours to go through the cycle?

I have steralite tubs that I keep my breeding mealies in. In my experience, the pupa (sp) emerge as beetles in less than a month. I have hundreds of beetles but no odor. I've not heard about the odor before but have never smelled anything.

I have yet to get baby worms from the breeding. This is my first time attempting to raise my own and I don't know if the beetles eat the eggs or what.

If anyone can tell me, am I supposed to rotate substrate or just leave the beatles in there with the eggs (that I can't see).

Anyway, hope this helps you
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JJay

This is Alma, my Bell Albino

4.5.3 leopard geckos (9 eggs incubating)
0.1 Map turtle

I think the beetles do eat the eggs; so what I do is to move the beetles to another container with fresh substrate once a month. It seems that I do get more mealworms this way.
About the odor, I never smelled anything.